Joshua 11, Psalm 144, Jeremiah 5, Matthew 19

Joshua 11,

1 When Jabin king of Hazor heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron and Acshaph,
 
2 and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah south of Kinnereth, in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor on the west;
 
3 to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and Jebusites in the hill country; and to the Hivites below Hermon in the region of Mizpah.
 
4 They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots-a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
 
5 All these kings joined forces and made camp together at the Waters of Merom, to fight against Israel.
 
6 The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots."
 
7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them,
 
8 and the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left.
 
9 Joshua did to them as the LORD had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.
 
10 At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword. (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.)
 
11 Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed them, not sparing anything that breathed, and he burned up Hazor itself.
 
12 Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded.
 
13 Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds-except Hazor, which Joshua burned.
 
14 The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed.
 
15 As the LORD commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
 
16 So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills,
 
17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death.
 
18 Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time.
 
19 Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle.
 
20 For it was the LORD himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the LORD had commanded Moses.
 
21 At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns.
 
22 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive.
 
23 So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.

Psalm 144,

1 Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
 
2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
 
3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?
 
4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.
 
5 Part your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, so that they smoke.
 
6 Send forth lightning and scatter {the enemies}; shoot your arrows and rout them.
 
7 Reach down your hand from on high; deliver me and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hands of foreigners
 
8 whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
 
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,
 
10 to the One who gives victory to kings, who delivers his servant David from the deadly sword.
 
11 Deliver me and rescue me from the hands of foreigners whose mouths are full of lies, whose right hands are deceitful.
 
12 Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
 
13 Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields;
 
14 our oxen will draw heavy loads.There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.
 
15 Blessed are the people of whom this is true; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.

Jeremiah 5,

1 "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.
 
2 Although they say, 'As surely as the LORD lives,' still they are swearing falsely."
 
3 O LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.
 
4 I thought, "These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God.
 
5 So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God." But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.
 
6 Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.
 
7 "Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
 
8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for another man's wife.
 
9 Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
 
10 "Go through her vineyards and ravage them, but do not destroy them completely. Strip off her branches, for these people do not belong to the LORD.
 
11 The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me," declares the LORD.
 
12 They have lied about the LORD; they said, "He will do nothing! No harm will come to us; we will never see sword or famine.
 
13 The prophets are but wind and the word is not in them; so let what they say be done to them."
 
14 Therefore this is what the LORD God Almighty says: "Because the people have spoken these words, I will make my words in your mouth a fire and these people the wood it consumes.
 
15 O house of Israel," declares the LORD, "I am bringing a distant nation against you-an ancient and enduring nation, a people whose language you do not know, whose speech you do not understand.
 
16 Their quivers are like an open grave; all of them are mighty warriors.
 
17 They will devour your harvests and food, devour your sons and daughters; they will devour your flocks and herds, devour your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.
 
18 "Yet even in those days," declares the LORD, "I will not destroy you completely.
 
19 And when the people ask, 'Why has the LORD our God done all this to us?' you will tell them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.'
 
20 "Announce this to the house of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah:
 
21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear:
 
22 Should you not fear me?" declares the LORD. "Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
 
23 But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts; they have turned aside and gone away.
 
24 They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives autumn and spring rains in season, who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.'
 
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.
 
26 "Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men.
 
27 Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful
 
28 and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor.
 
29 Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. "Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
 
30 "A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land:
 
31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?

Matthew 19

1 When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.
 
2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
 
3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?"
 
4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'
 
5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'?
 
6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate."
 
7 "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?"
 
8 Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
 
9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery."
 
10 The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry."
 
11 Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.
 
12 For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."
 
13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
 
14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
 
15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
 
16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
 
17 "Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
 
18 "Which ones?" the man inquired.Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
 
19 honor your father and mother,'and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "
 
20 "All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"
 
21 Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
 
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
 
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
 
24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
 
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"
 
26 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
 
27 Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"
 
28 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
 
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.
 
30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.